sunfish swimbait

[-ebby-]

what is a good sunny swimbait? i was looking at either the castaic (w/hard head)  or the storm kickin slab- needs to be a small one im in the north

[Matt Fly]

Give Mattlures a shout.   He's got some nice ones he produces and sells.     Good looking swimbaits.

[-ebby-]

are his a soft plastic? or at least the tail?

[-ebby-]

just check out his site... Wow! i want one! but i was hoping to spend ten bucks or less because it wouldn't be a main bait of mine just something that gets used every once in a while

[burleytog]

needs to be a small one im in the north

[-ebby-]

needs to be a small one im in the north

sad i know... so the one i buy needs to be under five inches i think... right now im leaning towards the storm because its pretty cheap

[rfrazier]

Stay away from the kickin slab and the smaller fish smaller bait philosophy. Definitely worth it to spend a little more on a mattlures bluegill.

[ben23]

I love the mattlures, but DO NOT count out the Black Dog Bait Shellcracker.......it is a wooden plug that has some of the best sunfish/ bluegill paint schemes I have ever seen. I use mine to wake on the surface or twitch like a spook. It works no matter where there are sunfish.....even here in MD.

Ben Dziwulski

God bless

[-ebby-]

im not saying the mattlures are to big they would probable work great! but i can't convice myself to spend that much one one lure that i wouldnt even use enough. But is the kickin slab a bad bait? has anyone tried it or the castaic? they would both work ok for me... i really can't spend much more then ten on this because of all the lures i have been buying to get me through the winter

:-/

[TeamBerettaGold]

Not to mention us boys in the north dont have the equipment to throw a 1.5oz lure!!!! Geez that thing is sweet looking though! I would have to use some of my musky gear to toss it ;D. Im on the same search as you are ebby, looking for a good, cheaper sunny bait.  Closest I have found, well its not even close to the mattlures, is the California Swim Babes Tiny E in Blue Gill color.  same thing Ike threw during the battle on the border, on amistad.

[burleytog]

needs to be a small one im in the north

sad i know... so the one i buy needs to be under five inches i think... right now im leaning towards the storm because its pretty cheap

No, what's sad is that attitude. :-X

[bpm2000]

gotta pay to play - if the mattlures is too expensive for you then you should just stick with the storms.

[-ebby-]

ya my bass rods are for throwin smaller lures and i just want a decent swimbait to throw every once in a while...one that doesnt need me to carry my musky gear with me at all times

[.dsaavedra.]

I CAN TELL YOU FROM EXPERIENCE: the kickin slab SUCKS!!!!!!!

it is truly a bad bait. i thought they looked very cool and for $3, eh why not. well it was $4 wasted. its a very bad bait. it falls WAY too fast, and it has virtually no action what so ever. the only way i could get some wobble out of it was when i was burning it it, and when i was reeling that fast, i couldnt keep it in the strike zone long enough. and the "joints" in the plastic are worthless. all they do is take away from the baits durability. the plastic is so stiff that it does not wiggle back and forth at the joints as advertised.

and you mentioned that the Mattlures bluegill was too heavy? well the storm kickin slab is 1 1/8 oz. that is only 5/8oz lighter than the mattlures bluegill. they are both heavy baits, but the mattlures is worth it from what i hear!

good swimbaits dont come cheap <---words to live by :

[LCpointerKILLA]

I CAN TELL YOU FROM EXPERIENCE: the kickin slab SUCKS!!!!!!!

it is truly a bad bait. i thought they looked very cool and for $3, eh why not. well it was $4 wasted. its a very bad bait. it falls WAY too fast, and it has virtually no action what so ever. the only way i could get some wobble out of it was when i was burning it it, and when i was reeling that fast, i couldnt keep it in the strike zone long enough. and the "joints" in the plastic are worthless. all they do is take away from the baits durability. the plastic is so stiff that it does not wiggle back and forth at the joints as advertised.

and you mentioned that the Mattlures bluegill was too heavy? well the storm kickin slab is 1 1/8 oz.  that is only 5/8oz lighter than the mattlures bluegill. they are both heavy baits, but the mattlures is worth it from what i hear!

good swimbaits dont come cheap <---words to live by  :

Actually Matt's bluegill is a good price. It's really not that expensive for a great swimbait. The 3:16 mission fish is like 12 bucks plus hardware so that might save you a little money.

[-ebby-]

thanks for the heads up .dsaavedra. i won't buy the storm... but i still don't think im gonna buy the mattlure (although its way to tempting) i can't justify 20 bucks for a lure i won't throw very often... im gonna keep looking for one thats gonna work for me i like the baby sunfish here http://www.***.com/descpageSWMCASTAIC-CSB.html# its just a half ounce so it will work good on my baitcaster. anyone used these? if not i might take my chances and order one. if i start to use it and other swimbaits alot im gonna buy that mattlure its nice!

[burleytog]

I give up...

[-ebby-]

if you read a little closer i want to try throwing a swimbait and see if its a bait i want to use. if i like them i plan on upgrading to a better brand. but i very rarely use a lure that is even a half once and i want to give a smaller one a try first... yes i know the mattlure is better (i have eyes) but if im not gonna get much use out of it there is no point. so if anyone has used these or a similar one that is light and not to expensive please let me know how the action and that kind of stuff is on it

[dumb_dog11]

try skinny bear shad eye swimbaits, they look good and are only 6 bucks for a five incher(please, no jokes). The closest to a sunfish color though would be their albino ayu or their smoke ayu.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE remember that i have not tried this bait and that i am just recomending it based on seeing it at ***.com and not on the actuall use of the product aforementioned

Burley, wanna be my spell check? ;D

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Ebby, I thought like you are for a very long time....up until recently when I had it put into perspective for me.

If you start with a lower quality bait, typically you will get bit less.  This causes you to think "Man, swimbaiting SUCKS!!" which in turn causes you to throw the baits with less confidence.  We all know what consequences that will have.

Bottom line, why waste $10 on a lure you "might" like when you can spend just a bit more and get one that is truly effective whether you live up north or not.

Like people have said, get out of the "I have smaller fish, so I need a smaller lure" mentality.  

I have, and it feels kinda nice crossing over  

[cootertom]

How does the Ultra Mattlure hold up to the spotted bass and stripes! A 3 lb. spot thinks he's as big as a 6 lb large mouth. Hate to pay that and be destroyed after one or two fish.

[-ebby-]

the problem is i almost always fish smaller baits i am more comfortable with them. and my rods are set up for these lures. i don't want to go buy a new rod just so i can throw this bait every once in a while and i don't want to have to  change my set up for one bait. i do relize now that i would catch fish even if the lure is big. but i would prefer using a good bait that i can just tie on one of my rods now. if mattlure had a smaller or lighter swimbait  i would probably give it a try

[Pond-Pro]

Im from the north too, and most of the fish I target would probably just  be intimidated by large bluegill swimbait.  That is why im considering to buy the Yamamoto swimbait, at 3 1/2", and in maybe the green pumpkin/red flake color.  Then just rig it on a large jig head.  I think that at $4 for a bag of five, this would imitate a bluegill well, and be closer to their average size.

Also, as far as price, $20 is not an extreme amount for the quality of a Mattlures bait when compared to $16 lucky crafts and $8 rapalas.  

[tyrius.]

Im from the north too, and most of the fish I target would probably just be intimidated by large bluegill swimbait.

There have been LOADS of threads here proving that this is simply just not true.  Bass are VERY aggressive and will feed on anything that they can fit their mouth around.  And they'll even strike lures that they can't even get in their mouth.

You aren't going to intimidate many bass throwing a Mattlures bluegill.  Try the baby bass swimbaits too.

[-ebby-]

pond what swimbait are you talking about? link?

and i was thinking about trying the mattlures babybass series instead... any suggestions on color? and where is the best place to buy?

i also just saw that the ultimate bluegill series is heavier than the other maybe i will give the smaller one a try